Blink Of An Eye
by Caustic Effect
Summary: Background story of Jace, my OC in the CQ RP. Describes the events leading up to him moving across the ocean to Hescombe.
1. Chapter 1

**Background story for Jace, my OC for the CQ RP.**

Ch.1 – Growing Pains

The needle shot through my ear and I let out a cry of pain. It stung badly and I could already feel blood dripping from the larger than average hole in my ear. I shook and my breathing became erratic. I couldn't stand blood.

"No, stop." I said shakily.

"But if we stop now you'll only have the right done, Jace!" Andrew said, trying to coerce me into the second blast of pain.

Already a drop of blood traced over the small ring that had been pierced into place. I reached up and rubbed against it, thinking. On the one hand I could just stop with the one. I didn't care. On the other hand, Andrew would care. He would stop at nothing to get his friend to go through with the second piercing. I glanced at Andrew's own ears and winced at the spreaders placed in them.

"What if I do it next week when we come to the mall?" I asked. "I'm shaking too much to do it now, it would probably end up going in through the wrong part of my ear." The man piercing my ears shrugged in agreement.

"Fine." Andrew said, "But you aren't getting out of the other ear. We will have it done next week!"

I smiled and got out of the chair. We immediately headed into the food court and walked around the half circle, collecting small samples on toothpicks from people working outside the restaraunts. After three circles we sat down at a table near the center, late afternoon sunshine warming us.

It was early fall, near the start of school, yet there were strands of Christmas lights hanging in the area already. On the far side of the food court was a bookstore, which seemed much too busy this day of the week.

"School's starting soon." Andrew mused, "I would give anything not to go."

"At least we get to choose our classes this year, instead of being forced into the standard ones!"

"True, true. You've won this argument."

It never failed to amaze me that even though we spoke little, our words said volumes. At least, between us they did.

After two more hours, we left and boarded the bus. Tonight would be a night filled with video games and snacks. At least, until my two older brothers went to bed, then we would go and visit Anup. I smiled at the thought of seeing Anup. It had been awhile since we'd been able to get out and see him.

The bus ended up carrying us out to the old farm house that had been left to the three brothers when my parents had died. It was slightly run down, but still kept up for the four living there.

Walking up, I opened the front door – a rickety old thing – and walked in, Andrew behind me. Both of us immediately stopped when we saw that Paul and Mark were in the room, standing and staring at us.

Both looked the same as the other. Scruffy blonde beards and hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin from farm work. The twins were impossible to tell apart, even to me, and their matching clothes didn't help the matter.

"So, our little brother returns with his fag friend."

"And look, he even got his own ear pierced as a little fag."

I hated whenever my brothers made fun of Andrew for his sexuality, but knew better than to call them out on it. It would only mean being beat to a pulp for the both of them. One time me and Andrew had been unable to walk for a few days. It was too bad we were unable to find another place to stay.

The twins wouldn't leave it alone though.

"A single ear piercing little brother? And the right ear, too. Tsk, tsk."

"So how many times have you two slept together?" My face flush. I didn't think of anyone that way, let alone Andrew. But, truth be told, he would probably be my first choice if I ever said I was into guys.

"Oh, look at that blush!"

"They must have done it a dozen times already!"

Andrew surged forward at this. "You bastards would know, wouldn't you? I mean you must have slept together at least a hundred times!"

The line had not only been crossed, It had been lifted and torn to a million little pieces scattered to the wind.

With a primal roar the twins rushed forward, one procuring a knife, the other a hammer. Andrew leapt back and I threw myself in front of him. They may not take me into consideration often, but I knew that they would hurt me less then Andrew.

The hammer swung out and caught me in the side of the head, knocking me to the ground with a large gash. The rest of the fight was broken by periods of black.

One instant I watched as Andrew dodged a knife swing and took the hammer to the gut, but still leapt back. He looked tired, as if at it for a while. Sweat drenched his brow and he seemed to be panting.

Black.

A warm puddle touched my ankle and a foul smell filled the air. Looking up slightly, I saw one of the twins on the floor in front of me, eyes unseeing and a shocked look on his face. Andrew leapt over the body and turned to knock the knife away with the hammer gripped tightly in his hands. I watched as the two traded blows, Andrew landing many with the blunt instrument.

Black.

A loud grunt filled the room, and I looked up to see Andrew with his back to me. A knife protruding from his back and my eyes widened as I saw the blood dripping down. The remaining twin stood with a smug look traced across his face. Andrew looked up and swung the hammer down. The twin's head collapsed under the blow, a look of malice and glee still on it.

Black.

When I came around again, I knew that I would not fade again. I could hear crickets outside and listened to the one other person breathing in the room besides me. Turning, I could feel Andrew next to me, his breaths shuddering. The blade was still sticking out of his chest, and now I could tell it was the one from the kitchen.

"Andrew..." I whispered, afraid of breaking the moment.

"I'm still here." he said in a breathy voice, deadened with agony. "I won't be long though. Already lost too much blood."

"You can't leave me alone!"

"Don't worry Jace. Have Anup keep my spirit or whatever he does." He joked. We had only made that stuff up.

"But it isn't the same."

"I have a secret to tell you, Jace. Are you going to listen?" His voice was serious and I immediately knew that he was telling the truth. The Andrew I knew was never so serious.

"Yes."

"I love you. More than a brother, more than all the money in the world, and more than life itself. I always wished that you were into guys so that we could be together as more than best friends."

"Andrew... I love you too."

I leaned against him, to comfort him as much as I could. He was weak and seemed barely awake, but his arm still wrapped itself around me.

"Will you kiss me? I've never kissed anyone in my life, and this is the last chance with the only person I ever wanted to."

I loved him more than I had loved my brothers. Ha! There was no comparison between them. I loved him as my closest friend and family. But I didn't know if I loved him like he loved me. But I would not let my uncertainty get in the way of him dying happy.

We leaned in to each other and our noses touched. I stared into his deep green eyes, as he stared into my deep blue. I shook with the apprehension and my stomach churned.

Then we were kissing. His lips were locked against mine and I could feel his breath in my mouth. He smelled and tasted of mint. I leaned in and returned the kiss he had started, reveling in the feelings that ignited in my stomach. Now I could say that I loved him as much as he loved me.

The kiss broke, and I could feel the chill air of the house press against my lips, where Andrew had just been.

"I do love you, Andrew." I said quietly, but my words only reached the dead.

**Wow, this turned out longer and better than I thought it would!**

**What ya think? More chapters coming!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ch.2 – Dearly Departed

I sat at the side of Andy's casket all day. It was early morning when the twins were buried – on the other side of the cemetery – and I watched as their many friends came and payed their respects. It amazed me that even through all they did they still had so many who cared about them. I guess it was me and Andy who bore the brunt.

A few of their friends said words of praise and I felt the disgust rise within me. A priest said something from the bible and the bearers lowered their caskets at the same time. Born into this world twenty minutes apart and gone the same way.

The procession of black filed out of the courtyard and I watched as the caskets were buried.

One time, at a school career fair, I had asked a mortician how long it took bodies inside caskets to decay. I guess I always had a morbid fascination. He had dodged the question and given me a bookmark that spoke of God and blessings and afterlife. It ended up in the trash.

Nearly a month later I had found out that it wouldn't matter to know how long it took inside a casket, because – more often then not – a casket would collapse under the weight of the earth. Technically the question was how long a buried body took to rot, not a body in a casket.

My musing had taken a large chunk of time and when I next looked it was noon and the twins were six feet under. I walked over and read their tombstones.

_Here Lies_

_Paul Laren Derech_

_1988-2010_

_Indistinguishable in life, separate in death._

_Here Lies_

_Mark Laren Derech_

_1988-2010_

_Indistinguishable in life, separate in death._

The lines brought a snort from me. It seemed that none of their friends could tell them apart either. It should have read, 'Indistinguishable in life as well as death.'

I laughed and walked over to Andy's casket again, sobering quickly. My friend lat before me, dead. But was he more than a friend now? I felt that I would never know.

The sun dipped in the sky, and soon it was time for Andy's funeral. It was simple, a few classmates that had been friends to us both came. A few words were said in his honor, then he was gone. Most left, but I stayed to watch the dirt being piled upon the shining wood below.

"I am, *ahem*, sorry to interrupt Mr. Belane. You have received a few offerson the farmhouse and the insurance check has arrived." I turned and took in the form of Mr. Kritch, the insurance adviser. I rmembered him clearly from after my parents funeral, six short years ago, and he looked exactly the same.

He had his dirty blonde hair in a short buzz cut. His beady eyes seemed to look for loopholes in everything, including contracts that bound his clients. His clothing was immaculate and well suited to a grave yard, yet brought my attention to my own simple dress.

I wore a black tee, black jeans, and black shoes. Very informal yet still the color of mourning. Andy would have laughed at anything more dressy.

"I accept the highest offer on the farmhouse." I said, voice free of emotion.

"Are you sure that you want to sell it? It has been in your family for four generations and they will just build over it." I nodded in response. "In that case, here are the checks." He ripped a check out of a little booklet after scribbling on it and handed me that with another. "I wish you a good life."

Then he was gone. I glanced at the checks and noted that both had Jace Belane written on them. I smiled, glad to have changed my last name two years ago. It was an honor to me, to take Andy's name, because he had been more family to me than my brothers had.

I sat next to the grave stone and read the words I had chosen to be inscribed on it:

_Andy Michael Belane_

_1994-2010_

_A best friend and closer than family._

_A prayer that was answered._

_And gone in the blink of an eye._

A little sappy, but Andy would have liked it. I watched as the sun set on the horizon.

"Well, Andy. We always talked about escaping my brothers, and now that it has happened I would do anything to go back and stop it."

"You also got your wish. You said you'd give anything to not have to go to school. Just too bad that it was your life."

"I guess that I won't be able to come and talk to you much. I'm going to move as far away as I can. Maybe to the UK or something. It sounds like US and they speak english there, right?"

I trailed off on this last point and wondered if they did speak english. I had never been one much to World History or any of those classes, so I had no idea.

It was now dark and I watched the shadows lengthen. In the distance I could hear wolves howling. Above me there was a beautiful full moon. I knew what it meant, but didn't much care. The wolves' chorus sounded so sad and beautiful that I connected it to Andy's death. It was too bad that the wolf, Gray, had never taken a liking to me. I wouldn't mind sitting here with Andy's buddy and Anup.

A shadow flicked past the edge of the graveyard and I sat up straight, staring into the dark. I was sure I had seen something, but there was nothing there anymore. I leaned back against the tomb stone again but kept wary.

Again I saw the shadow flicker past, but this time it was at the corner of my eye. I stood and whirled, searching the shadows around the graveyard. Maybe I should have been more cautious, with the full moon out and all.

This time it wasn't a shadow but a full blown gray blur. I watched as it darted between tomb stones and trees, keeping out of full sight. Then it was before me. I stumbled back as the were-wolf bared his fangs menacingly.

"Where be And?" he said, words slurring in the canine maw.

"He's... He's dead, Gray." I said, tears leaking out of my eyes. "My brothers killed him, and he took them with."

Gray howled and then fled the area, as quick as he had come.

_Hmm, I was expecting more violence._

I turned and grinned at the almost waist high canine.

To anyone who spotted him, he may as well have been a coyote, but I knew better. Anup is an Anubis. He looks like a jackal, but with short black fur over most of him. The only other color was gold – or for the skeptics, deep yellow – it was his eye color, the fur inside his ears, and the fur at the bottom of each of his legs.

"Hey Anup, I thought so too. He seems to have taken it better than me, though."

Anup let out a variety of short howls and barks that sounded like laughter.

_I think that the were-wolves take loosing a pack member in their own way._

"I just wish I could talk to Andy one more time." I said sadly.

_Your wish has come true._

I felt a hand wrap around mine. Startled, I turned and came face to face with Andy! He looked exactly as he had at the mall, and his green eyes held a hint of merriment.

"Surprised to see me?" He said, a light tone in his voice.

"Of course!" I yelled, wrapping him in a hug. "How are you here?"

"Let's see... It might have something to do with the fact that there is an Anubis sitting next to you. And I want to tell you that I will always be near you. No matter where you go or what you do, I will always support you and wait until we can be together again."

We leaned into each other and shared a deep kiss, better than the first. I hugged him and felt the ethereal feel of his spirit.

"Always?" I asked.

"Always." he replied, his spirit fading out of sight. It echoed and leant a sense of permanence to the word.

**Woohoo, more actiony stuff next chap, so be on the lookout!**


	3. Chapter 3

Ch.3 - Rust

I still stared at where Andy had faded into the background.

_I can only make him visible to you for short periods of time._

"That's okay," I sniffed and wiped my nose. "He told me what I needed to hear."

_Speaking of hearing, there is something with us._

"Something wicked this way comes." I said, spotting shambling skeletal figures. My eyes narrowed at the sight, I knew they were here to claim the spirits of the recently deceased. I had spent enough time with Anup to know that what comes after death doesn't care about what you did in life. They were merely scavengers, living off of the leftover life force.

_You'll need the staff, Jace._

"Yes, I will." I held out my left hand and felt a staff appear there, solidified from spirit. I swung it around my head and slammed the base into the ground.

It was black and smooth. It was not metal or wood, but some strange mix of the two. An ankh topped it, the two outward facing pieces sharp blades. The circle at the top held a small black stone that shone the same colored light.

I swung to my left and severed one of the figures in half, watching as it dissolved into whatever came after death. Anup leapt forward, covered in what appeared to be smoke and tearing at any enemy he came within reach of.

I swung forward and severed another, happy to let Anup have his fun while I just kept the ones that came near away. I could here ghostly wails across the cemetery and watched as Anup blasted the smoke forward, anything that it touched instantly dissolving.

The moon was shrouded by a cloud and I swung around me blindly, feeling the impact several times.

"Anup! Let them have that half of the cemetary. We can't let something fester and become stronger than they are already."

_Ruining my fun now?_

"Not ruining, just limiting." I replied, kicking one of the shades in its jaw as I swung the staff around over my head in intricate patterns.

_You were born to lead, and use a staff!_

"I don't know about the leading thing, but I agree with the staff. I love this thing!"

Soon all the things on our half of the cemetery were decimated. I watched as the other half milled with them, chuckling every time one got to close and was blasted with the ghostly smoke for it.

"Tomorrow – or is it later today? - I am going to go look for housing."

_Hmm... Can it be near a graveyard?_

"Definitely."

The next day came faster than I thought it would. I ran into town, Anup at my heels. We had done this many times and had the explanation ready. Anup was simply a hybrid between Jackal and black lab. I reached the library without realizing it and was surprised that I wasn't out of breath. I guess track, cross country, and free running improved the stamina.

I set my staff against the wall and flipped the blades, hiding them in the staff while the dull parts still stuck out. Not threatening, yet still deadly.

I walked in with Anup, ignoring the no dogs sign. The librarian loved dogs and had a sweet spot for Anup. I logged onto one of the computers and quickly brought up global housing listings. I entered into the required fields information I felt necessary and then watched as my results poured in.

Nebraska. one bedroom, two bath, 20,000 square feet. $400,000.

Pass.

Tennessee. Four bedroom. One bath. 10,000 square feet. $200,000.

Pass.

Bejing, China. One bedroom. One bath. 5,000 square feet. Equivalent of $200,000

Pass.

I could here Anup letting out contented yips as the librarian scratched his chin. Unchecking the boxes for US and China, I also undid the boxes for other countries that didn't speak English as the main language. Click, click, click, click, loading.

Montreal, Canada. Two bed. Two bath. Equivalent of $300,000

Pass.

Hescombe. Four bedroom. Two bathroom. Equivalent of $50,000

Finally!

I clicked on the option and read through the more in depth information.

_'Hescombe is a small community and is on the verge of becoming a green community. 565 Grave Rd. is a larger house for the neighborhood, but fits in well. There is a renovated basement with one room and one bathroom. The main floor has an open floor plan with a large kitchen and sunken living area._

_There is also a side, entertainment room with closet space. The upstairs holds three bedrooms and one bathroom, all spacious. The house is only a stones throw from the beach. In the other direction is the graveyard, where the road gets its name._

Impressing, but why was it so cheap? Probably for being in a small community...

_Hescombe. A town on the brink of eco-sustainablity. Many Green projects and environmental protections have been put in place recently. An elementary school is located inside the city while all higher levels go to Chartmouth._

_A lot of bad weather has been called to attention in recent years. Events include a tornado, and a few major storms... blah, blah, blah._

I clicked the 'Place Offer' button and clicked $40,000. I then brought up the sight for Chartmouth and was redirected to the school. Seems that the year started next week. I applied and brought the page back to the house, meaning to scan through the pictures. Instead, I found an 'Offer Accepted' notice.

I was moving to Hescombe.

…

One week later I was in Hescombe in front of the house. After purchase I had been informed that it came fully furnished.

I walked to the door, Anup at my heels, but was intercepted by a neighbor.

"Oh my, here you are. Welcome to the neighbor hood. You do know that this house is haunted, right?" She stuffed a tray laden with all sorts of pastries and sweets into my arms and I almost toppled backwards.

"Haunted? Haven't heard that."

"Oh, it's true! The owner twenty years ago hung himself, God bless, and since then no one has lived in the house for more than a year!"

I just grinned. "That makes it all the better!"

She frowned and patted her apron down. "Aren't you a little young to be moving in on your own?"

"I'm not on my own, I have Anup here." I stated, putting the 'Don't you dare say any more' tone in my voice. She just looked at me disapprovingly, then scuttled away.

_Haunted and a graveyard down the road. Sounds fun!_

"You bet." I replied, opening the door.

**Eh... Not the best chapter ever, but I like it. How many people want to see more? And how many of those people are in the RP and wouldn't mind me turning it into a story form?**


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